Improvement in rocking and reclining chairs



. 2 Sheets--Sheet1.

G. C. KNELL. Booking and Reclining Chairs.

Patented Aug.11,l874.

W: liwfiivr: W 7% a 6.764%

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. KNELL, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROCKING, AND RECLINING CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 153,966, dated August 11, 1874 application filed April 25, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES C. KNELL, of the city of Moline, county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rocking-Chair and Lounge Combined; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts whenever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

Figure lrepresents the rocker proper. a

represents the back, fastened to seat A by two strong hinges on the top of cross-beams. b is the prop or brace, (of which there are two, one for each rocker,) attached and working in sockets in rockers B at c. d represents ratchets in the back of chair, in which props b can be set to incline the back to any slope desired, at the same time making a strong support for the back just where the bearing comes. It is held close in the ratchets by the spiral spring 0, attached by an arm to the rocker, or it may be connected to the back a if desired.

Fig. 2 represents the reclining or invalid chair. This is formed by bringing the props or braces 12 to the farther ratchet, thus making a complete reclining chair and rocker, the

weight being principally near the center of I rocker, and therefore not liable to tip it over.

Fig. 3 represents the lounge. f is the headboard and foot-rest, which is made to slide under the back a, and finished as may be desired at the top of chair, and when used for lounge can be extended for foot-rest. g is the feet, which are attached to back a, and fold in when used as chair, and held by springs, if required, or by headboard f.

By lifting up the back a to make the chair, the feet drop back to their places, the headboard f slides to its place in the back, and the props b spring to the ratchets. The lounge is made simply by pulling out the props b altogether, and letting the back rest upon the feet g, and sliding out the head-board f.

By pivoting the braces b in sockets or recesses in the rockers B, and adjusting them in notches or ratchetsin the back a, instead of pivoting the braces to the back and adjusting them in notches in the rockers, as is usually done in chairs of this description, two very important advantages are gained: First, the number of notches may be increased, and much more play is thus allowed to the braces 1), making a greater pitch of the back possible than when the notches are crowded into the rear part of the rocker, which necessarily must be short, in order to allow the chair to be tilted back in rocking; secondly, by my arrangement there is no possibility of the tops of the braces slipping out of the notches when these become worn; whereas, when these notches are in the rockers, the braces are very apt to chip them off, and slip out when heavy pressure is brought to bear upon the back.

Having thus described my improvement, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent In a rocker or reclining-chair, the combination of the hinged back a, provided with the notches or ratchets d, props or braces b, springs e, and recessed rockers B, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Witnesses:

EDWARD KNELL, M. G. WARE.

o. o. KNELL. 

